Roasted Turkey is a savory and delicious staple recipe that every cook should know especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The recipe only requires turkey, unsalted butter, stock, salt, pepper and optional ingredients and is actually very simple to make!
2cupschicken stockor substitute the same amount water or vegetable stock
1/2cupunsalted butter1 stick, softened to room temperature, you can use regular olive oil in place of the butter if you prefer
1-2tablespoonsKosher saltor amount to taste
1/2teaspoonfresh ground black pepper or peppercorn medleyor amount to taste, you can add more at serving
Optional Ingredients
1lemon sliced
2-4sprigsrosemaryfresh
4sprigsthymefresh
2-4clovesgarlicminced
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Discard paper towels.
Place the turkey in the roasting pan. Remove the giblets and neck, either save for use or discard. Tuck the wings behind the turkey's shoulders. At this point, if you want to add the optional ingredients, you can add them to the turkey's cavity.
Sprinkle Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper all over the turkey. Add the butter on the top of the turkey.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water) to the bottom of the pan.
Place the roasting pan with the prepared turkey in the center rack of the preheated oven. Close the door. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 13 minutes per pound, so a 13-14 pound turkey should be done under just under 3 hours.
Using a turkey baster, you can baste the liquids over the top of the turkey every 45 minutes. As the turkey get's close to being done, keep an eye one it, if the top looks too brown, you can use a foil tent to protect the top from over-browning.
When you think the turkey is done, using a meat thermometer, check the thickest part of the breast and thigh. It should be at 165 degrees F when done.
Allow the turkey to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Carve the turkey into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
I suggest not truss the turkey legs to allow the air to circulate in the cavity and cook at the meat.
This recipe is based and works best for on a 13-14 (max 16) pound turkey. Generally, you want to roast the turkey 13 minutes per pound, you can use this metric to calculate how long to roast your turkey based on it's weight. The turkey in this recipe took just under 3 hours to roast.
Make sure to measure the temperature of the turkey in the thickest part of the thigh and breast before you consider it done. The temperature for poultry should be 165 degrees F when done.
Make sure you let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Fresh turkeys generally cook faster than frozen, thawed turkeys, so be sure to keep an eye on the turkey as it gets close to being done and you might want to check on it with the meat thermometer earlier.
if you have any leftovers, be sure to wrap them up in air-tight container(s). It's important not to leave out food to avoid food-borne illness.